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CONTEMPORANEOUS INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 471563887 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE A68 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · contemporaneous.org
revenue
$250K
expenses
$293K
net assets
$23K
employees
6
volunteers
10
program ratio
66%
mission · from form 990

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOR MUSIC

profile · synthesized from sources

Contemporaneous is a New York-based ensemble of 25 musicians dedicated to performing, commissioning, and recording transformative new music by living composers. The organization supports emerging and underrepresented voices in classical music, with a focus on large-scale and experimental works. It also runs educational outreach programs for K-12 and university students across the United States, fostering creativity and access to contemporary music.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $41K
    EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON NEW MUSIC AND FOSTERING CREATIVITY IN THE GREATER NEW YORK CITY AREA AND AROUND THE USA; STUDENTS REACHED: 700
  2. #2 $7K
    COMMISSIONS OF NEW MUSICAL WORKS FROM COMPOSERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, NEW WORKS BY COMPOSERS COMMISSIONED
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Contemporaneous: IMAGINATION
Open call for composers worldwide to submit unrestricted, ambitious ideas for new works; selected projects are developed and performed by the ensemble.
Open Mic
Free, barrier-free series where any composer can have their work performed by Contemporaneous musicians; premiered thirty new works in its first year.
School-Day Residencies
Interactive K-12 workshops introducing students to contemporary music through live performance, composition activities, and ensemble collaboration.
University Residencies
Customized educational programs at colleges and universities featuring performances, workshops, masterclasses, and professional development for student composers and performers.
Virtual Community Salons
Monthly online gatherings for composers and artists to share works in progress and receive feedback from a supportive community.
activities · 8 groups

What they do

  • Commissioning New Musical Works 2 activities
    • Commissioning and premiering new musical works
      Commissions and produces new musical works from composers worldwide, with over 200 premieres to date. The organization supports the development of these works from conception through performance, including large-scale and multimedia productions.
    • Running open-call programs for composers
      Operates "Contemporaneous IMAGINATION," an open-call program that solicits innovative, unrestricted proposals from composers, resulting in the commission and development of dozens of new works, including experimental and immersive performances. Also runs the Open Mic series, which premiered thirty new works in its first year.
  • Music Education and Training Programs 2 activities
    • Conducting artist residencies at universities
      Holds educational and performance residencies at universities across the U.S., including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, University of Chicago, and CUNY, supporting student composers and performers through workshops, readings, and performances.
    • Delivering educational and outreach programs in new music
      Provides educational programs and workshops in schools and universities to foster creativity, music appreciation, and engagement with contemporary music. These include customized residencies, masterclasses, instrumentation and improvisation workshops, and side-by-side performances with students. Programs have reached hundreds of students across K–12 and higher education institutions.
  • Classical and Chamber Music Performances 2 activities
    • Performing contemporary music nationally and internationally
      Performs as a core ensemble and individual members at experimental music venues and festivals across the U.S. and internationally, including MATA, Prototype, Fringe, Bard Music Festival, Whitney Biennial, and ISSUE Project Room, with repertoire focused on music by living composers.
    • Producing annual multimedia concert series in New York City
      Produces an annual series of multimedia concerts in New York City featuring contemporary and experimental music, including performances recognized by The New York Times as among the best classical music performances of the year.
  • Site-Specific Artistic Installations and Performances 1 activity
    • Developing and presenting interdisciplinary sound installations
      Creates and presents interactive sound installations, such as a Tropicália-inspired work featured in the 2017 exhibition Vamos Comer in Rio de Janeiro, blending music with visual and conceptual art.
  • Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
    • Producing a podcast on creativity and commissioned music
      Produces podcast episodes that explore creativity across disciplines and feature commissioned musical works.
  • Nonprofit Music Recording and Distribution 1 activity
    • Releasing recordings of commissioned musical works
      Releases albums of commissioned and performed works, such as "The Wild Heart" by Dylan Mattingly, making new music accessible to a broader audience.
  • Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 1 activity
    • Research and publication in experimental music
      Conducts research and publishes writings on experimental music in journals and anthologies, including contributions to Contemporary Music Review and Blank Forms’ Alien Roots: Éliane Radigue. Also translates archival materials from French to English for scholarly publication.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Hosting virtual community and development events for artists
      Hosts monthly Virtual Community Salons and free virtual events that provide online spaces for artists to share works in development and for broader community engagement with creative work and conversation.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$250K
Contributions & grants$153K61%
Program service revenue$95K38%
Investment income$1K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$293K
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead34%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$89K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$23K
Cash$23K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$23K
Liquid reserves0.9 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue +9.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DYLAN MATTINGLY DIRECTOR 23 $30K
board members · 1
  • DAVID BLOOM — DIRECTOR
relationships · 78

Who they work with

  • AYCO Charitable Foundation Funder — Partial funder of Contemporaneous
  • Aaron Copland Fund for Music Funder — Supports the Virtual Salon series.
  • Alarm Will Sound Partner — Madison Greenstone performs as a guest musician
  • Ambos Partner — Collaborated on the 2017 exhibition Vamos Comer by creating an interactive sound installation inspired by Tropicália.
  • Bang on a Can Partner — Collaborator with the ensemble.
  • Bang on a Can Partner — Presenting organization for performances by Contemporaneous.
  • Bard College Partner — Founding institution and host for ensemble residencies.
  • Bard College Partner — Hosted university and K–12 educational residencies and workshops.
  • Bard College at Simon’s Rock Partner — Hosted university residencies.
  • Bard High School Early College Queens Partner — Hosted K–12 composition workshops.
  • Blank Forms Partner — Presented Madison Greenstone as a soloist and published their writing and translations in the anthology Alien Roots: Éliane Radigue
  • Bronx Community College Partner — Hosted educational workshops.
  • Brooklyn Charter School Partner — Hosted educational workshops.
  • Brown University Partner — Hosted educational events.
  • C4 Partner — Compositions performed by C4.
  • Carnegie Hall Partner — Presenting institution for performances by Contemporaneous.
  • City University of New York Partner — Host institution for ensemble residencies.
  • City of Tomorrow Partner — Member of the woodwind quintet dedicated to the promotion and performance of contemporary works.
  • Colgate University Partner — Host institution for ensemble residencies.
  • Columbia University Partner — Hosted Madison Greenstone for a residency
  • Contemporaneous Partner — Madison Greenstone performs as a member of the ensemble
  • Contemporaneous Partner — Member of the New York-based ensemble Contemporaneous, which focuses on music by living composers.
  • Cornell University Partner — Hosted Madison Greenstone for a residency
  • David Bloom Partner — Co-artistic director and co-host of Imagination Radio podcast
  • Decoda Partner — Member of the ensemble.
  • Dua Ketuk Partner — Collaborates with the Yogyakarta-based new music collective to enable composers to have their music performed and documented globally.
  • Dylan Mattingly Partner — Co-artistic director and co-host of Imagination Radio podcast
  • Ensemble Either/Or Partner — Compositions performed by Ensemble Either/Or.
  • Ensemble Mélange Partner — Member of the virtuosic sextet whose repertoire spans a myriad of genres.
  • Girls Preparatory Bronx Middle School Partner — Hosted educational workshops.
+ 48 more
strategies · 8

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Amplifying Underrepresented Voices to Transform the Canon
    methodology: amplifying_underrepresented_composers
    By providing underrepresented composers opportunities to write for large ensembles, the organization increases equity in classical music and enriches the canon because inclusion drives artistic innovation and representation.
  • Artist-Centered Innovation Through Experimental Submissions
    methodology: artist-centered_innovation
    By inviting composers to submit experimental and unconventional ideas, the organization develops bold new works that push artistic boundaries because creative freedom enables radical artistic exploration.
  • Barrier-Free Access to Composition and Performance
    methodology: barrier_free_access
    By removing stylistic, financial, educational, and curatorial barriers, the organization enables any composer to share their music because equitable access expands artistic diversity and democratizes creative expression.
  • Educational Outreach to Cultivate New Music Engagement
    methodology: arts-education-outreach
    Through arts education and outreach programs, the organization fosters student creativity and passion for new music because structured engagement promotes careful listening and meaningful musical expression.
  • Engaged Audiences Through Creative Process Inclusion
    methodology: creative_process_engagement
    By involving audiences in the creative process from concept to performance, the organization deepens public investment in new music because participation fosters emotional connection and sustained engagement.
  • Interdisciplinary Exploration to Understand Creative Motivation
    methodology: interdisciplinary_creativity
    By exploring imagination across diverse fields, the organization seeks to understand what drives creative risk-taking because interdisciplinary inquiry reveals deeper psychological and cultural motivations behind innovation.
  • Unrestricted Artist Commissions to Enable Ambitious Innovation
    methodology: unrestricted_commissions
    By commissioning new works without creative restrictions, the organization enables composers to pursue large-scale, ambitious projects because removing constraints fosters artistic risk-taking and breakthrough innovation.
  • Virtual Extension of Creative Communities
    methodology: virtual_community_engagement
    By extending in-person salons into virtual formats, the organization maintains creative connection and accessibility because hybrid models sustain community engagement despite physical limitations.